Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival celebrates 20th edition, March 26 to April 17

Milestone season features expanded celebrations, new traditions, and citywide gatherings under pink canopies

SPONSORED POST BY Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival

Blossoms After Dark. Photo by Lung Liu

 
 

One iconic thing marks spring in Vancouver: cherry blossoms in full bloom. This year, they bloom with a special milestone. In 2026, the Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival is celebrating its 20th annual festival, marking two decades of arts, culture, and community beneath the city’s iconic pink canopy.

Running from March 26 to April 17, this milestone season will be one of the most expansive in the festival’s history. Favourite events will once again invite residents and visitors to experience the ephemeral beauty of Vancouver’s cherry blossoms in parks and neighbourhoods across the city.

For the first time ever, The Big Picnic is expanding into a two-day celebration on March 28 and 29. Attendees can expect hands-on art workshops, live performances, and the inaugural Cherry Blossom Pet Parade at David Lam Park. Also new for 2026 is an expanded Blossom Block Party with Public Disco on April 4. Dunsmuir Street is becoming a car-free zone for the day, complementing the beloved dance floor and activities in Dunsmuir Plaza at Bentall Centre for a vibrant open-air celebration.

 

Blossom Block Party. Photo by Lung Liu

 

Blossoms After Dark—a magical promenade through illuminated cherry blossoms—is returning to David Lam Park on March 27 and 28, with performers, food trucks, interactive activities, a licensed lounge, and stunning photo opportunities. And the beloved Sakura Days Japan Fair is happening April 11 and 12 at VanDusen Botanical Garden; created in collaboration with Japan Fair Association of Vancouver, the cultural celebration features traditional performances, artwork, cultural activities, and delicious Japanese cuisine.

To honour 20 years of the signature Haiku Invitational, the festival is publishing the commemorative book Blossoms in the Breeze, featuring a collection of past winning poems and haiku by the judges. Other exciting festival firsts include the sold-out Blossom Run at David Lam Park on March 28, a Whitecaps FC Cherry Blossom Match on March 15 at BC Place, and a specially designed heel by Fluevog Shoes available for purchase.

Plus, to help reinvigorate the breathtaking blossoms, the Vancouver Park Board will be replanting eight trees at David Lam Park and one at Queen Elizabeth Park.

For more information about the festival and upcoming programs and events, visit vcbf.ca.



Post sponsored by Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival.

 
 
 

Related Articles

Featured
Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival celebrates 20th edition, March 26 to April 17
Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival celebrates 20th edition, March 26 to April 17

Milestone season features expanded celebrations, new traditions, and citywide gatherings under pink canopies

Cascade Peaks ChamberFest announces a world premiere for its inaugural vocal ensemble program
Cascade Peaks ChamberFest announces a world premiere for its inaugural vocal ensemble program

At a July 20 concert, faculty lead Mark Vuorinen directs Where Wildness Lives by renowned B.C. composer Imant Raminsh

At Vancouver Greek Film Festival, visual innovation throws light on social fracture
At Vancouver Greek Film Festival, visual innovation throws light on social fracture

In series at The Cinematheque, vintage home-movie glow of Kyuka: Before Summer’s End and hallucinatory shades of Harvest reveal tension and crisis beneath domestic and communal surfaces

Vancouver International Children’s Festival gets set to welcome everything from high-energy Danish dance to artful Korean doodling
Vancouver International Children’s Festival gets set to welcome everything from high-energy Danish dance to artful Korean doodling

Eighty shows in all, as Italy’s Teatro Telaio sets up an ARCHIPELAGO installation, plus pow-wow, hip-hop, and massive puppets

Stir Cheat Sheet: 5 expert-recommended Beaujolais sips at the Vancouver International Wine Festival
Stir Cheat Sheet: 5 expert-recommended Beaujolais sips at the Vancouver International Wine Festival

France is in the spotlight at this year’s event, which features a weekend-long tasting event at the Vancouver Convention Centre

Bilingual Montreal tunesmith Aleksi Campagne carries on a family tradition
Bilingual Montreal tunesmith Aleksi Campagne carries on a family tradition

At Festival du Bois, the singer-violinist will blend Québécois fiddle tunes with an indie-folk sensibility

Film reviews: Thrillers to sci-fi, Rendez-Vous French Film Festival explores genre
Film reviews: Thrillers to sci-fi, Rendez-Vous French Film Festival explores genre

Gourou, Dalloway, and a flick inspired by Liliane Bettencourt of the L'Oréal dynasty help launch 32nd annual fest

Stir Cheat Sheet: John Irving to comic-book heroes, 5 events to catch at the JCC Jewish Book Festival
Stir Cheat Sheet: John Irving to comic-book heroes, 5 events to catch at the JCC Jewish Book Festival

Talks with cellist Janet Horvath, the Berkowitz Bros., and more unpack themes of identity and resilience

Hoop dance and Métis jigging meet as Beany John and Sophie Dow take the stage at Matriarchs Uprising
Hoop dance and Métis jigging meet as Beany John and Sophie Dow take the stage at Matriarchs Uprising

The Dance Centre and O.Dela Arts present the piece that draws on the performers’ Indigenous ancestors

Stir Cheat Sheet: 4 aural adventures to catch at Music on Main’s kid-friendly BIG BANG Festival
Stir Cheat Sheet: 4 aural adventures to catch at Music on Main’s kid-friendly BIG BANG Festival

Visitors can hit gamelan and percussion rooms, plus custom DJ sets and more, at the Roundhouse on February 15

Ahead of the Family Forward Festival, Ruby Chopstix praises their mom’s unconditional support
Ahead of the Family Forward Festival, Ruby Chopstix praises their mom’s unconditional support

In a short documentary, the Vietnamese Canadian queen reflects on becoming the country’s first drag artist-in-residence

Festival du Bois launches 2026 lineup rooted in vibrant Canadian fiddle traditions, March 6 to 8
Festival du Bois launches 2026 lineup rooted in vibrant Canadian fiddle traditions, March 6 to 8

Performers include Nicolas Pellerin et les Grands Hurleurs, Delhi 2 Dublin, and bluegrass band Bagatelle

Fluevog Shoes unveils pretty pink heels to mark Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival’s 20th annual event
Fluevog Shoes unveils pretty pink heels to mark Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival’s 20th annual event

The sakura-inspired look is just one of the styles on offer at a February 5 shopping-night fundraiser for the fest

Celebrated drag artist Wet Mess leans into confusion and complexity with TESTO
Celebrated drag artist Wet Mess leans into confusion and complexity with TESTO

The London-based performer reveals the struggle and growth behind the bold, disarming visions of their latest show, now on its way to PuSh Festival

At HOLD ON LET GO, Anjela Magpantay unpacks the weight of gifts and absence
At HOLD ON LET GO, Anjela Magpantay unpacks the weight of gifts and absence

In her show titled it is for when you meet me, the creator and performer explores what it means to give and receive through the Filipino tradition of pasalubong and balikbayan boxes

Dance review: Coregulation and calm, as Action at a Distance’s WAIL sculpts vocal sound and movement
Dance review: Coregulation and calm, as Action at a Distance’s WAIL sculpts vocal sound and movement

In this PuSh Fest, Music on Main, and Dance Centre premiere, humming songs, whispered words, and hypnotic movement bring a sense of serenity and connection to a chaotic world

In The Brutal Joy, Justine A. Chambers channels the overwhelming beauty of Black living
In The Brutal Joy, Justine A. Chambers channels the overwhelming beauty of Black living

With staging that evokes a Chicago jazz bar, the Dance Centre and PuSh Festival co-presentation draws on matrilineal fashion and line dancing

Dance review: JEZEBEL challenges the stereotype of the booty-poppin’ backup dancer
Dance review: JEZEBEL challenges the stereotype of the booty-poppin’ backup dancer

In a riveting PuSh Festival and New Works copresentation, Belgium’s Cherish Menzo plays with repetition, chopped-and-screwed music, and flashing dental grillz

At PuSh, Alan Lake Factori(e)’s mythologically driven Orpheus paints a visceral picture of loss
At PuSh, Alan Lake Factori(e)’s mythologically driven Orpheus paints a visceral picture of loss

In the deeply moving production, dancers embody the ancient tale of death and longing by tapping into their own experiences of tragedy

Eastside Arts Society secures funding to purchase its headquarters at 716 East Hastings
Eastside Arts Society secures funding to purchase its headquarters at 716 East Hastings

Vancouver City Council greenlights $2,665,000 for acquiring the property, with funds from the False Creek Flats Amenity Share Reserve

Ralph Moore Quartet headlines sixth edition of Jazz at the Bolt, February 13 to 15
Ralph Moore Quartet headlines sixth edition of Jazz at the Bolt, February 13 to 15

Hosted by the Cellar Music Group at the Shadbolt Centre, festival opens with a special concert by the Vancouver Jazz Orchestra with Champian Fulton and Klas Lindquist

FESTSStir VancouverPartner Content, Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival